Écrins National Park

Écrins National Park spreads across high mountain ranges with peaks over 3000 meters and wide glacier fields in the French Alps. The terrain consists of steep slopes, narrow mountain lakes, and dense forest at lower levels that give way to boulder fields and snowfields higher up.

The protected area was established in 1973 to preserve the high mountains between the Isère and Hautes-Alpes departments. Before this, the same zones had been used for centuries for grazing livestock and passage by traders and shepherds.

The name Écrins comes from an old term for the jagged rock faces and sharp ridges found across this region, and it has changed little over the centuries. Today the word refers to a network of paths and pastures that cattle and sheep return to each spring, shaping the character of the valleys.

The trail system crosses several altitude levels and is easier to walk during the warmer months, while winter snow makes many areas inaccessible. Mountain huts along the routes offer shelter and a place to rest when daily stages turn long.

The Barre des Écrins at over 4000 meters is a destination for experienced climbers and offers a view over wide ice fields. Several glaciers around this summit show clear signs of retreat from recent decades and slowly withdraw from the valleys.

Location: Ancelle

Location: Aspres-lès-Corps

Location: Besse

Location: Buissard

Location: Chabottes

Location: Champcella

Location: Champoléon

Location: Châteauroux-les-Alpes

Location: Clavans-en-Haut-Oisans

Location: Crots

Location: Embrun

Location: Entraigues

Location: Freissinières

Location: L'Argentière-la-Bessée

Location: La Chapelle-en-Valgaudémar

Location: La Grave

Location: La Motte-en-Champsaur

Location: Lavaldens

Location: Le Bourg-d'Oisans

Location: Le Monêtier-les-Bains

Location: Aubessagne

Location: Les Vigneaux

Location: Mizoën

Location: Les Deux Alpes

Location: Orcières

Location: Oris-en-Rattier

Location: Ornon

Location: Oulles

Location: Prunières

Location: Puy-Saint-Vincent

Location: Puy-Saint-Eusèbe

Location: Puy-Sanières

Location: Réallon

Location: Réotier

Location: Saint-Apollinaire

Location: Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur

Location: Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans

Location: Saint-Clément-sur-Durance

Location: Saint-Firmin

Location: Saint-Jacques-en-Valgodemard

Location: Saint-Jean-Saint-Nicolas

Location: Saint-Julien-en-Champsaur

Location: Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes

Location: Saint-Maurice-en-Valgodemard

Location: Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol

Location: Savines-le-Lac

Location: Valbonnais

Location: Valjouffrey

Location: Vallouise-Pelvoux

Location: Villar-d'Arêne

Location: Villard-Notre-Dame

Location: Villard-Reymond

Location: Villar-Loubière

Location: Chantepérier

Inception: March 27, 1973

Website: http://ecrins-parcnational.fr

GPS coordinates: 44.85583,6.26361

Latest update: December 13, 2025 19:39